1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a toothbrush holder and more particularly, to an animatable musical toothbrush holder and brushing timer in which the animation shows the child the proper way to brush teeth and is, along with the music accompaniment, controlled independently of the positioning of a toothbrush within the holder.
2. Prior Art
There are several prior art devices which act as toothbrush holders and which provide an incentive for a small child to brush his or her teeth for a predetermined period of time. These devices, generally, have displayed thereon the facial features of animals with teeth. The devices are activated by removing the toothbrush from a receptacle. When the toothbrush is removed the device is activated, resulting in music and/or the animation of the display. The animated display represents an animal in the act of brushing its teeth. The music and/or animation will continue until the activating mechanism runs down or the toothbrush is replaced in its receptacle.
For example, the Stone U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,487 discloses a toothbrush holder wherein the removal of the toothbrush from the holder will activate the musical system and the animatable representation on the housing. Replacing the toothbrush in the holder will stop the music and ready the device for the next cycle of operation.
Another U.S. Pat. No. to Stone 3,021,666 discloses an animatable toothbrushing timer wherein removal of the toothbrush from the holder will activate the device. The child brushes his teeth until the action stops. Insertion of the toothbrush back into the holder will ready the device for the next user.
These two devices and the prior art in general, while attempting to provide a device useable to induce a child to brush his teeth for a reasonable period of time have a major drawback. The music and animation in the devices begin when the toothbrush is removed from the holder. None of these devices take into account the fact that they are to be used by young children, whose manual dexterity still might not be fully developed. The fact that an indeterminate time is required for a child to apply toothpaste to the brush is ignored. Therefore, a young child might find it difficult to completely apply toothpaste to the toothbrush and brush his teeth long enough before the timer has run down.
Further, the animatable displays in the prior art do not depict the proper brushing motion generally accepted by the dental profession as conducive to good dental hygiene.
Moreover, the devices disclosed in the Stone patents require fragile and fairly complex mechanisms which increase appreciably the cost of the devices and the possibility that, if the device is accidentally dropped by the child, it will become inoperable.
It is toward elimination of these and other problems that the present invention is directed.